Fire extinguisher



y 7, 1931- H. w. DOUGHTY FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Dec. 31, 1929' 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1, 4 a. i a ffium 52 FMS/El 3mm Howard Wafers Dewy 4 attotmqs Patented July 7, 1931 HOVV'ARD VIATERS DOUGEITY, 6F AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

Application filed December 31, 1929. Serial No. 417,693.

This invention relates to fire extinguishers and is adapted for extinguishers of the portable type such as are carried to the fire and brought into open tion by inversion or other manual manner, or to extinguishers of the automatic type which are brought into operation automatically when the temperature in the vicinity of the extinguisher reaches a predetermined degree and/or when the pres- 10 sure within the extinguisher surpasses a predetermined maximum.

The invention further relates to extinguishers of the type in which the fire is smothered by spraying thereover a gas or. vapor of a substance which is non-combustible and non-combustion supporting. Such substances are well known and several of them are now in use. I have found carbon tetrachloride and other chlorinated hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof to be admirably suited for this purpose.

The expulsion of the fire extinguishing substances from the extinguisher may be caused :by pressure exerted by gas generated within the extinguisher for that purposeby bringing together two reactive substances,

one, or both, of which may be in liquid form,

I or the initial expulsion or discharge of the 1 extinguishing substance may be caused by pressure derived by other means and the sub sequent expulsion of the substance caused by generated gas.

In fire extinguishers of the type in which the expulsion or discharge of the fire extinis generated for that purpose it has been common to maintain in separate'containers within the extinguisher an acid and a salt which will react therewith to liberate a gas. Sulfuric acid and sodium bicarbonate are generally used, and the two are brought towithin the extinguisher and in the manner guishing substance is caused by a gas which in which they are caused to be brought together for the generation of the expelling gas. Another important feautre of the invention is the provision of an extinguisher in which all possibility of corrosion of the container is eliminated.

In carrying out the present invention I use carbon tetrachloride or other fire extinguishing substance which is not miscible with water to any considerable extent and which ias a specific gravity greater than the solut-ion or solutions which are used to generate the expelling gas. The reactive substances are caused to float on the fire extinguishing substance and are maintained out of contact with each other until such time as it is desirable to cause the operation of the extinguisher. The separation of the reactive substances is -preferably maintained by partitions which extend below the surface of the fire extinguishing substance on which the reactive substances float. The reactive substances may be brought into contact to cause the generation of an expelling gas in various ways. For example, if the extinguisher is a portable one, it may be inverted, as is now done with such extinguishers. If the extinguisher is of the automatic type the separating partition may be supported by a fusible connection which, at a predetermined P0 temperature permits the partition to drop, or, a. frangible diaphragm may be provided which will be disrupted when the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere exceeds a predetermined degree and the pressure Q within the extinguisher surpasses a predetermined amount. In the latter case the initial discharge of the fire extinguishing substance may be effected entirely by the vapor pressure of the extinguishing fluid and the subsequent expulsion or discharge by the pressure of generated gas.

The invention will be further described in connection with the accompanying drawings but it is to be understood that this more detailed disclosure and description is intended asan exemplification of the invention and that the same is not limited thereto. In the drawings: I p

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a fire ed in Fig. 1, the numeral 1" indicates a container for a fire extinguishing fluid 2, which; for reasons hereinafter pointed out, should extinguisher embodying my invention, and

' Figs. 2 and 3 are views of modifications.

Referring-now to the invention as illustrat not be miscible with water to'any considerable extent and should-preferablyhave aspecific gravitysomewhat greater than that of water. 'Carbon tetrachloride and other chlorinated hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof have been found to very satisfactorily-fulfil these con'- ditions; I

V The top 3of the container 2 is provided with a relatively large opening lwhichis closedagainstthe escape of vaporsfrom within the container by threaded closure I 5, The jl closure has formed integrally therewith upstanding neck 6,- the. upper d if'v l hter m es. I-a' w d fiange 7 to receive the nozz1e 8. -The closure. 5 and the integrally-formed neck 6 are provided with acentralgopening '9 into which the upper endof agdischargetube 10 extends The lower end of: the tube 10; as is. clearly shown in the drawings ezrtends down to a point ad- 1 jacent the bottom of the container 1..

jThe; nozzle 8 has-an opening- 1 1 registering with the .-'opening,9. -The opening 1 1 as which is fusible i at the desired temperature. The filling of fusible-material closes the open;

' gin t eme a d-jth 'l wer. vend t eo I rests on a diaphragjm of franfgibleinaterial; 13 J dispos d bietv e i.;w s 14 d The us le ma er a h r brac 5 2 f ce nt for. hed ep esm am p e e s; its,

rupture until ithe desired temperature has be -re c ed The upe ti ill g o rmat o 0f en ils 6. fies-ethe h'the frangible e--- p aem 1. Fin fusible nf r ngmat r ja s is; disclosed in my ;Patent wNo. 15 736,256.

the extinguishing fluid; reactive, gas 'gener- 3 non volatile-solid, for exampleysodium ca' r%.-

granted Nov. l9, 19291and1formsnq part of the present invention; and any other type' of release may be used if desired. 1; In order gum the expulsion 'disch arge of the fire extinguishing fluid2 shall. not. beide: pendent inerely upon the; vapor gprjessurefof ating substances 16 and 17 aredisposed with in-the container. These 'substances may beg a '7 bonateand assolutiom-or two solutions, pref-1 erably i11Water;-which' on'contact produce ga 1 withsufi icient rapidity. .Sulphuricacid and a solution of potassium carbonateareexam ples of two: liquid substances which may be used {Thefpotassium carbonate is usedfin preference to the cheaper sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate because it ismore 'solu'ble and more .of it I can'f be used, in a. given volume of'solutio ni; thus-saving space for; the I fire; extinguishing fluid. :The use-ofjthcse gas generating substances together withj eap' i ben tetrachloride as the extinguishing fiuid provides a fire extinguisher which has aivery low freezing point and one which delivers" a completelyneutralized liquid. v Thesulphuric acid and potassium carbonate are both non-reactive with carbon tetra- -chlo-ride and when the sulphuric acid is suitably .diluted with water" both of them will have-a specific gravity which is less than the v carbon tetrachloride andiwill float directly thereon. r I

To maintainthesulphuric acid out of contact with the potassium carbonate until such time as llI'lS desired to have the extinguisher set in operation they are separated by a parti- "tion" 18; The partition'18 may be composed of anyunaterial which does not react with the acid or'carbonatesolution. Lead, fiber and balrelite are examplesof such materials. v .Thepartition 18 has its lowerend extending a slight distancebelow the level. of the carbon tetrachloride solution so that swashing of the contents of the extinguisher will not cause the acid and carbonate to be brought into contact with each other. In

thecdrawing s-the partition; has been. shown as a cylinder concentric withthedischarge tubei lO .butit is .to be understood.that.,this

Parfifi'ion:m@y take any form as .l o it maintains the re ctivesubsm joutcof I t itheach other -Theupper end of thepartition '18 iszsuit guisher a t the: proper distance from the ceil- The-ez' ctinguisher asabove constructed ischarged' pouting. carbon tetrachloride I in until .thecontaineris about three fourths full. Then fifty percent'sulphuric acid, saturated aluminum sulphate ,or other substitute 1 is added on one sidelofQthe;partition 1 8 .and

potassium carbonateisolution onthe other side partition y The amounts of thesegsolutions. are. determine drby the capacity 0-.:;tht container but .vv'ill roughly comprise abbutione eighth thetotal volume. h'llhese solutions willtas stated .hbOVGy. float on @top of thetcarbon tetrachloride.- IThe extinguisher thus charged is hung up to await a fire. lWhen a fire occurs the heat ofthe surrounding:.atmosphere melts -the fusible ring- ,20- whichholds the partition 18in place andper nits the partitiontordrop: [The drop;

ping. oft the" .parti tion allows the acid suban ga d -.ea h ee egt rwnfie ten react with he sul ing g ner t n i o bo ipiieee e. "Inseamus es i now arl to operateas soon as the dual temperature and pressure control means 12 and '13 will permit the discharge of the carbontetrachloride. l

' In Fig. 2 I haveshown the invention applied to a fire extinguisher of the portable type. In this figure the container 81 is adapted to be maintainedin upright position until its use becomes necessary; -The container 31 is provided with a discharge opening 32 near the upper end thereof which communicates with a hose 33, equipped with a spray nozzle 34, by means of which the operator may direct the discharge of the extinguishing fluid 3'5 onto-the fire.

The top of the container 31 is provided with an upwardly or outwardly extending neck 36, the upper edge of which is provided with screw threads 37 which cooperate with similar threads on the interior of. a flanged cover 38.

- Aligning with the outwardly extending neck 36 is an inwardly extending flange 39 the inner end of which is turned at right angles to form a supporting ledge 40 for a partition 41 which, like the partitions 18 and 18 in the forms heretofore described maintains the reactive substances 42 and 43 out of contact until such time as it is desired to bring the extinguisher into operation. The partition 41 has upwardly extending fingers 44 provided with outwardly turned ends 45 which engage the supporting ledge 40 to hold the partition in place. The partition 41 extends below the level of the fire extinguishing fluid 46 which, as in the forms of the invention previously described, is preferably carbon tetrachloride or other chlorinated hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof.

The partition 41 is shown as a cylinder having an opening at both ends. To prevent splashing when in normal position the upper end-of the cylinder may be provided with a loose fitting cover 47 which will drop off when the extinguisher is brought into operation.

The extinguisher shown in Fig. 2 is charged in the same manner asthe extinguishers heretofore described. When it is desired to bring 59 the extinguisher into operation it is only necessary to invert it. The inversion of the ex-' tinguisher causes the lighter acid and carbonate to rise beyond the separating partition to the surface of the carbon tetrachloride where they come in contact with each other with the resultant generation of carbon dioxide which is the impelling force which causes the discharge or expulsion of the carbon tetrachloride.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modification of my invention in which all danger of corrosion due to the acid solution coming in contact with the inner surface of the container is avoided. This modification is shown in connection with an automatic type of extinguisher-but it is likewise applicable to extinguishers of the portable type.

The construction and operation of the extinguisher shown in Fig. 3 is similar to the construction and operation of the extinguisher shown in Fig. 1, but instead of a single partition such as is disclosed in that figure, two partitions 50 and 51 are shown. In this form of the invention the inner partition 50 maintains the acid and carbonate solutions separate, while the outer partition 51 maintains the substance between the partitions out of contact with the inner surface of the container 1. The partitions 50 and 51 are composed of such material as will resist the corrosive action of the acid and carbonate solutions and are supported by fusible connections 52 and 53, similar to the fusible connection 19 of Fig.

lVhen desired to prevent excessive swashing of the contents the fire extinguisher shown in the various figures may be provided with bafi'les or other antisplas h means, whioh may be secured to the interior of the casing and/or to the partitions.

From the aforegoing description it will be apparent that I have provided a fire extinguisher having means for effectively main taining the reactive substances out of contact with each other until such time as it is desired to set the extinguisher in operation and that once set in operation the discharge of the fire exinguisher will continue irrespective of any subsequent cooling of the atmosphere immediately adjacent the extinguisher. The present invention also provides a fire extinguisher which is devoid of all moving parts and which is extremely simple in operation.

I claim: v

1. A fire extinguisher comprising a container having a discharge opening, a fire extinguishing liquid in said container, gas-producing reactive substances floating on said fire extinguishing liquid, a partition for normally maintaining said reactive substances out of. contact with each other, and fusible means for supporting said partition in normal position.

2. A fire extinguisher comprising a container having a discharge opening,a fire extinguishing liquid in said container, gas-producing reactive substances floating on said fire extinguishing liquid, and partitions for normally maintaining said reactive substances out of contact with each other and tinguishing liquid in said container, gas-producing reactive substances floating on said fire extinguishing liquid, and partitions for normally maintaining said reactive substances out of contact with each other and out of con tact with'the inner surfaces of the container,

ion

i a e I dueingsreactivesubstancesfidating QII tusihlie. means fenslliipqfi nglse dpal ti tions in-nermal;pnsition;

:4. .A' fire; extinguisher e having a; discharge iopennlg a ,QX-i

tin"gunshing liquid; in said cntainer; :g,

d fireextinguishing liquid,- aipartitiQn; 01 finer.- mally imaintaining sald .reaetive substances,

, out of contact With,,each ether-{Land fusible 'Ine'ans within ,th.e..e0i1ta1ne1t for. sup-pu ting 7 said partitioninnormalpesitio n 7 7 ';5. A fire extlngnisher compris ng a Q911- tainer :having. .a' discharge, opening, a;-firetinguishingr liquid in said container, v

produeing reactivesubstances floating. Qmsaid fire extinguishing liquid, partitions {on n01:

' Ina-11y maintaining saidreactive substanees' outiof contact with i eachsother. and out 0i GOL L, tact With the inner surface 612'; the ',conta n' i,

and fusible means. within. the L container for su porting 7 said partitions in normal @Qsif6; 'Arfire extinguisher comprising a container having a dlscharg'e Op6I11I1g,:,& fireeextinguishing liquid insaid Container, gas-pure: duc'ing reactive substances floating on, said fire" extlngulshingi llquid, and -P3Jit1tlQIlSflX- tending belowvthe surface of the extingnisb ing" fluid and normally. maintaining. saidieactive substances. out of contact with each otherand out of contaetwith the inner .snr-

V facesoffthev'container. V .7. A: fii e. extinguisher comprising. a icon -matla a na:

- eLQsed,-,,a dischaigetube ieeinznnni ating w th 7 said dis harge opening an iext ndingiton a hehmtom-Qthe nt inen afin e it n ing liquid Within .saidcontainer an a r unding" said dis harge: nhaigasQmQ 1 g reacti e-subst ees fi idlfi-re ex-I ,nqi mal y ces but 0i allni' e t mony here -l. i ixmys g atnt atea h. en itn Qntame te normally tainer having. adiscliarge 'o'peni'ng, nleaiissnb- I jectto dual control; o fltemperature a-n'cl,..jg fres- 'saiddischarge openings and extending to near tainer having adischange opening,-means subf the bottom'of the container, a fire extinguishing liquid within said :Vcgntainer and surrounding said'discharge tube, gas-producing reaqtive substances fiating on saidm-fii'e ext inguishing llqllld a partition .for normally maintaining said. reactive substances. but o-f Contact Withfeaeh other, sand-fusible means for: supporting said partition in nor nal' p o-r ject to dual control 6f temperature andppressure-fer normallx'niaintainingsaididpening. closed, a dlsehar'ge tube communlcatlngvwith saiddisharge dpeningand extending tone-a1 the bottom of the container,- afireextinguisb ing liquid within said Container and sn-r-.

rounding said discharge tube, gasepredncing reactive substances floating on said .fireextine guishing liqu-id*,;andpartitions. for inornia'lly maintaining said reactive substances "out of contact; with each other and out bf Cbntact with thevinnefsurfaceoof the containeiz 7 29: fine extinguisher-1' bonlp is'ing' a, containef having-a dischangeolpening r'neans sub ject t"ow'dual {control of 'ftemperature and Iprless'ute? for normal-1y. maintaining said ppening sure for normally maintaining saidfldpening Y v elosed adlseharge' tube colnniunleatlnglwlth 

